July 2016 – Adventures Gate

The Great Ragdoll War Of 1273

This would have been a much quicker way of resolving battles than all those hours of hacking and maiming and screaming.

OK, so maybe this isn’t the most historically accurate representation of melee combat, but it is one of the most enjoyable. It’s by Nicholas King, a CG artist at creative studio Optix.

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You can see more of Nicholas’ work at his personal site.

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To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner.

Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional or character art you’d like to share, drop us a line!

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from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/the-great-ragdoll-war-of-1273-1784623651

Pokémon Go Boss Gets His Twitter Account Hacked

The people are not pleased. John Hanke, boss of Pokémon Go developers Niantic, had his Twitter account hacked earlier today.

It looks like the group Our Mine are responsible, using the hack to post messages about…the game not being out in Brazil yet.

It’s the same group responsible for other high profile 2016 hacks, including that of Twitter’s CEO himself. They also got into Mark Zuckerberg’s Pinterest and Twitter accounts.

At time of posting it’s been over four hours since they got in and their tweets are still live on Hanke’s timeline.

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/pokemon-go-boss-gets-his-twitter-account-hacked-1784623047

The Week In Games: The New Adventures Of Old Batman

After years of playing as a man in a bat-themed armor brutally beating thugs, this week we finally get to play that same man pretending to be a normal, everyday billionaire.

Is Bruce Wayne Batman, or is Batman Bruce Wayne? It’s a question that’s been asked several dozen times in the comic books, but so far games have stuck the the punching and the kicking. Telltale’s episodic adventure take on Batman should be quite refreshing. It’ll probably have a narrative and everything. Can’t wait!

Not a lot happening this week, what with school kicking in soon for much of the country, but what little is happening looks quite nice.

Tuesday, August 2

Batman: A Telltale Game Series Episode One — PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android
Abzu — PS4 Digital, PC
Gal*Gun: Double Peace — PS4, Vita
Canon Brawl — PS4 Digital
Laser Disco Defenders — Vita Digital
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart — PS4 Digital
Overcooked — PS4 Digital
Risk Urban Assault— PS4, PS3 Digital
Tricky Towers — PS4 Digital, PC

Thursday, August 4

Breach & Clear: Deadline— PS4 Digital

Friday, August 5

Little King’s Story — PC

Coming Soon

Tuesday, August 9

No Man’s Sky — PS4, PC
Blade Ballet — PS4 Digital, PC
Brut@l— PS4 Digital
Emily Wants to Play — PS4 Digital
OlliOlli Epic Combo Edition— PS4
UNO — PS4 Digital

What else is coming out soon? Planning to play something on Steam or mobile? Tell us about it in the comments.

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/the-week-in-games-the-new-adventures-of-old-batman-1784622323

Rated E For Sexual Conduct

Gal*Gun: Double Peace is a game about shooting schoolgirls with your love. It is not for everyone, and especially not for Everyone with a capital E, as shown on the back of the physical Vita release of the game.

Caught by Wario64 on Twitter (via Destructoid) and corroberated by other early recipients, while the front of the Vita version proudly displays the M rating assigned to it by the ESRB for “Sexual Themes”, the back of the box tells another story. It’s like a ratings mullet.

Twitter’s Jamie Bravo has both sides of the story.

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If I had to guess, and I do as North American Gal*Gun publisher PQube hasn’t responded to my inquiry yet, I’d say this was somebody’s joke that accidentally got sent to the printer. I’d also say the eSRB is not going to be happy with it, and that anyone who has gotten a copy with the botched rating should hold onto it, as those won’t be around for long.

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/rated-e-for-sexual-conduct-1784621539

Podcast: Answering Your Best Questions

Today on Kotaku Splitscreen we’re reaching into the mailbag and pulling out all of your best questions on subjects like NX, Overwatch, and video game reviews.

Originally published 7/28/16

Kirk and I also answer questions about Neo/Scorpio, Vita, the inevitable SNES Classic, Destiny, and the recent YouTube controversy involving paid coverage of Shadow of Mordor. (If you want to submit reader questions for the show, send them to splitscreen@kotaku.com)

You can listen to today’s episode on iTunes or on Google Play. You can also find it on Simplecast here. (MP3 download here.)

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/podcast-answering-your-best-questions-1784451764

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Being Detective Pikachu: Winners!

Last week we asked our ‘Shop-savvy readers to show us who could play Detective Pikachu in the upcoming live-action film. It all came down to a coin-toss.

I couldn’t decide between Hans Maulworf’s excellent Magnum P.I.K.A.C.H.U. entry and MrDeadScott’s equally amazing Chu Detective.

And so I flipped a coin. Magnum won. Then I flipped again, as I’d used Magnum in a tweet earlier in the week and wanted to give Chu Detective a fair shake. Magnum won again. I am a slave to chance.

Grats to both, the very-nearly winner and the definitely winner. Scroll down for the folks who also won, but not at coin-toss level.

This Weekachu’s Runners-Up

He’s played a detective, has the range and electricity shoots out of his ass, OldFactioned is on to something here.

JayJammer’s entry makes it because Charlie Day should be in everything.

Nick Liam Holmes makes it for the sheer horror factor.

PuppetStrett makes it for adding Diagnosis Murkrow to things I say all the time for no reason.

doctorglass remembers the classics.

Of all the Batman entries, I liked Cloudkey’s the best.

I’d go see this, ConManEd.

cecil_banon suggests a more height appropriate actor.

Robi_Joseph thinks Jim Carey could pull it off, and he could use the work.

I was not expecting this, graham2K.

Pete makes it based on Also_Ran’s comment: “Gotta catch ‘em all. No, really, he’s gotta catch ‘em all.”

Arch Duke Maxyenko proves that Idris Elba can do anything.

This. A thousand times this, zombie711.

Not an actor, but enchanted-fern’s image is just too awesome.

GiantBoyDetective is extremely qualified to make this call.

Yes Velduanga, Angelina Chu-lie is a fetish.

I guess that counts as Thundershock, Mrichston.

At Risk Asterix evokes CyberSleuth, earning a spot by default.

Who is your trainer, and what does he do, Ssmoomix?

I just really like Iharm’s use of Cumberbatch hair.

Look at Chrury Sanson, pulling out David Suchet’s Hercule Poirot, like a boss.

Doctor Nein gives us the great electric mouse detective.

Aw man, I miss Peter Falk, Hundredgunner.

That’s it for this week! Join us next weekend for a new topic, new hopes and new dreams.

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/kotaku-shop-contest-being-detective-pikachu-winners-1784618731

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Super Gaming Quiz Podcast – Dracul

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Super Gaming Quiz Podcast – Dracula in Reeboks • Some Of My Favorite Video Game Openings • Furi is Everything a PlayStation Plus Game Should Be and More • ’Thinking Out Loud’ Discussion: What I’d Want From Pokemon On NX

You’re reading TAY, Kotaku’s community-run blog. TAY is written by and for Kotaku readers like you. We write about games, art, culture and everything in between. Want to write with us? Check out the Beginner’s Guide to TAY and join in.

You can always stop by to say ‘hi’ on our: TAY Open Forum

Or write an article to your personal blog and tag it TAY Classic for feedback.

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from Kotaku http://tay.kinja.com/today-s-selection-of-articles-from-kotaku-s-reader-run-1784573991

Pokémon Go Players Requesting Refunds Over Lack Of Tracking

With the broken in-game tracking patched out and third-party services getting shut down, Pokémon Go players are now requesting refunds for in-app purchases, and in many cases they’re getting them.

A Reddit thread started earlier today is steadily filling with stories of players requesting refunds for their in-app purchases through Google Play or iTunes, citing that Pokémon Go’s latest update broke the functionality they’d made the purchases to take advantage of.

When the game’s tracking was working, nearby Pokémon would be listed on screen, along with a series of steps vaguely denoting how far away they were from the player. Players could then select a Pokémon, tap the compass and follow directions to hopefully capture the creature they were after.

The three-step glitch, which showed all nearby Pokémon the furthest possible distance from the player, made tracking difficult. Yesterday’s game update removed tracking altogether, leaving just a list of nearby Pokémon without distances or the ability to select one and track.

Players had been making due with third-party tracking programs like Pokevision, which used Go developer Niantic’s API data, but as of this morning, many of the more popular apps have been shut down for unspecified (but pretty obvious) reasons.

So now players are requesting refunds, citing that the game’s functionality has been altered to the point where the original plans for those in-app purchases are no longer viable. They purchased Pokémon Go currency to buy items to track and capture Pokémon, and while they can still capture random creatures they come across, it’s not the same thing.

To test the process, I hopped into iTunes, went to my purchase history and reported a problem with my most recent purchase, a $9.99 buy made back on July 9. It went through without a hitch.

Other players report similar success going through the automated process. Meanwhile, Google Play’s automated policy only allows for refunds on purchases made within the past 48 hours, though Redditors are reporting success getting earlier purchases refunded by using the option to have Google support call them.

It remains to be seen how refunds will affect player accounts, or how Pokémon Go developer Niantic will respond.

from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/pokemon-go-players-requesting-refunds-over-lack-of-trac-1784616329

Ghost Of A Tale Plays Just A Good As It Looks

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In 2013, David “Seith” Gallat got our attention with footage of his one-man game, featuring a tiny mouse on a big adventure. Three years later, Ghost of a Tale is a playable Steam early access game, and it’s even more impressive.

Ghost of a Tale is a stealth action RPG starring Tilo, a mousey bard in a world populated by animals. The game opens with the miniature minstrel locked in a rat-guarded prison. A mysterious benefactor slips him the key to his cell. Then I squeal for five minutes straight, because look at this mouse. Just look at him.

Ghost Of A Tale Plays Just A Good As It Looks — Look at him!

I’m not generally much for stealth games, but something about this setting and this sort of hero makes it work for me. Mice hide. Mice run. It’s what they do. Mice also solve adventure-style problems by carrying stools over to where prison door keys are hanging . Sometimes they throw bottles at rats. It’s natural.

Or at least natural in a world that’s a bit of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series with a little Nimh thrown in. Lionel Gallat, who has worked on various animation products, including serving as animation director on The Lorax and Despicable Me, is basically piping classic 2D animation into a 3D world, and it works very well.

It plays particularly well too. The controls are smooth, the animation is excellent. Directional audio cues strike the perfect balance between menace and utility, helping Tilo avoid the rat guards without diminishing their sinister presence.

All in all it’s an outstanding piece of work, especially considering it’s been largely a one-man project, with additional assistance on music, story and a little coding.

Ghost of a Tale is now available on Steam early access, where Gallat hopes to continue raising funds necessary to bring the game into the home stretch. The aim is to have a full release for PC and Xbox One later this year.